by Liz Curtis Higgs Whether you’ve yet to be published or have a shelf full of novels with your name on the spine, here are four simple steps to improve your writing: read, write, listen, and refine. Read the best books in your genre, from time-tested classics to the latest award-winners. Study the rhythm of the words, the balance between …
Brown Paper Bag
By Tomi Leslie The wood-planked floor, of a one-room schoolhouse stage, creaked. Slowly, my girlfriend and I stepped across it. And at center stage we turned to face the audience. She gently nudged her elbow against my side, but nothing calmed my quivers. The lyrics of Jingle Bells danced a jitterbug step within my mind. Dashing through the snow in …
Sabotaged!
By Andrea Boeshaar God has a purpose and plan for each of us. How do I know? God says so in His Word, the Holy Bible. (See Jeremiah 29:11) But sometimes we sabotage Divine plans with negative thoughts and fears. The battlefield truly is the mind and we can be our own worst enemies. If we allow ourselves to wallow …
Satan Hates Your Writing (A Defense Strategy)
by Natalie Monk “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12 Haters gonna hate. And Satan is a hater. He hates your writing style, your blog, your book, your agent, your publisher, your librarian, your favorite football team… …
3 Things Writers Can Learn From Volleyball Players
By Beth K. Vogt My youngest daughter plays volleyball. Well, she doesn’t just “play” volleyball – she competes year-round, first on her high school varsity team, and then on a club volleyball team. This girl is all about volleyball – kind of like writers are all about writing. After watching dozens of high school games this fall, I realized volleyball …
The Lost and Found of Writing
By Victoria Buck A writer once used social media to direct this question to other writers: Do you write to avoid doing other things? This was something to ponder. What sort of things? Do I twist the plot to avoid cleaning house? Do I write another chapter so I don’t have meet the demands of running a small business with …
It’s Christmas, but the Writing Must Go On!
By Sharlene MacLaren In the words of my friend when expressing dismay, Yikes-Bikes! The manuscript for my next full-length novel is due to my editor in a matter of weeks, and I’m nowhere near finished with my first draft. Further, it’s the Christmas season, and what on this beautiful planet was I thinking on that lovely spring day when I …
Our Intrinsic Value and Voice
By John Tucker Many people from all walks of life identify themselves by the work they do: dentist, engineer, lawyer, or writer. But all of our work, talents, skills, and giftings are extensions of who we are. Our intrinsic value as persons comes from our Creator and dwells in our spirit. It is out of our spirit that we do …
Coming Together
By Rondi Bauer Olson During this Thanksgiving season, many of us are visiting with relatives. Maybe you’re eating leftovers, or you’ve snuck away for a few moments by yourself. In any case, coming together to thank God for our blessings is not only important for families, but can be wonderful for writers, too. Last summer I signed up for an …
Don’t Quit Your Day Job–Part II
by Elizabeth Musser A year ago (October, 2015), I wrote a post called ‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job‘. Here’s the second part of that post, giving a very personal account of how my day job inspired my newest novel. In the summer of 1984, I, along with dozens of other missionaries working throughout Europe, gathered for a conference in an …